


Line in the Snow

by CatKing_Catkin



Series: The Rising Up of the Underworld [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Brother Feels, Corruption, Developing Friendships, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fights, Frisk is a Sweetheart, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Morally Ambiguous Character, Papyrus Has Issues, Poor Sans, Protective Frisk, Protective Papyrus, Reconciliation, Redemption, Sans Has Issues, Sans Needs A Hug, Sibling Love, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 13:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6287251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatKing_Catkin/pseuds/CatKing_Catkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Underfell AU)</p><p>Sans and Frisk together have managed to get Frisk through Snowdin without the human being identified and captured. They both know that to be handed over to Undyne and delivered to Asgore would be a fate worse than death even in the brutal, violent Underground. Frisk is his friend, the first friend that Sans can remember having, and even if they're a human he knows they don't deserve to die.</p><p>Unfortunately, all their efforts aren't quite enough to escape the notice of The Great Papyrus. Out in the open and with nowhere to hide, his prey knows there's no escaping his pursuit. </p><p>Sans makes a stand so that Frisk can get away. Papyrus makes him pay for it. Somehow, a lot of things get said in the meantime that they'd both forgotten might ever have needed saying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Line in the Snow

**Author's Note:**

> Occasionally, I'll try to write a fic just to see if I can do it. I almost couldn't do this one!
> 
> This little experiment was mostly born of a desire on my part that's been around pretty much since I got into this fandom. I wanted to write a tragic fight scene between Sans and Papyrus. Why, you ask? Well, look at my MCU fandom list. That sort of thing is usually my jam. Undertale!Sans and Undertale!Papyrus, however, were having none of it no matter how I tried to make it work. So this fic gave me my excuse. And it was a pretty interesting little thought exercise from there.
> 
> I'd like to think that a good fic was born out of me scratching an old itch. But as always, all of you will have to be the judges. I will say that if you're a fan of heavy grimdark in your Underfell, this might not be the fic for you. Undertale in general is a game I find to be very hopeful and fundamentally positive, and I like that about it. So that's always going to be at least a little bit present in my fics and at least a little bit present in my take on the various AUs.

“keep it up, boss. we’re almost there.” 

Frisk nodded and didn’t slow down. They were hurrying along quickly enough to be panting even in the cold weather. Somehow, despite never seeing him move faster than a slow shuffle since meeting him, despite being barely a couple of inches taller than Frisk was, Sans was now keeping a couple of paces ahead. His dark coat was slung around their shoulders, its hood pulled up to hide their face. Despite the fact that they wouldn’t have thought skeletons could feel the cold, the hoodie was surprisingly warm. They weren’t looking forward to giving it back, but it seemed to have served its purpose of getting them through Snowdin without being identified as a human. Sans’ presence had also helped – their companion did not seem to be highly regarded by his own kind, but his brother was, and that seemed to afford him some clout. 

The military compound lay behind them, further and further with every step. They couldn’t run. The hounds would always chase a running target, and the path between Snowdin and Waterfall was entirely open country. It would take a while before they could be certain they were out of sight of the sentries on the wall. So they walked, instead, as quickly as they could.  

They walked until the fog started to fall.  

“oh, man,” Sans breathed, glancing back over his shoulder. He fell behind a step for the sake of giving Frisk a firm shove in the back. “oh, _man_.” 

Frisk couldn’t help but glance back, too, and immediately wished they hadn’t. They almost stumbled again from the lurching dread that came with seeing the tall figure visible through the deepening fog. They could also hear the footsteps, too – long, sure strides that were audible over the skeleton and the child’s hasty scrambling. The figure wasn’t running, because it didn’t need to run. It was catching up. If they ran, it would run, too, and catch them even faster.  

Frisk knew it, and after another moment Sans seemed to accept as much, too. He stopped, and he turned. Frisk carried on a few more paces just out of sheer momentum before turning to look back at him. 

It was to see that Sans was holding out a hand, even as he stared back the way they came. “whelp, sorry boss. but it, uh, it looks like I’m gonna need my coat back.” 

Frisk didn’t hesitate to shrug out of it and pass it back over. Their heart was racing so quickly and pounding so hard against their ribcage that they didn’t really notice the cold anyway. Sans pulled the hoodie back on, moving as deliberately as they’d ever seen him. Like this, with his back to them and the details of his form obscured by the mist, he didn’t look like their friend for a moment. Like this, he looked like just another monster. Frisk wondered if they might have made a mistake, if he wasn’t just going to turn them over to his brother anyway. 

But Papyrus drew closer, and Sans made no move to go and meet him. He made no move to lay a hand on or restrain Frisk, and so the moment of doubt passed to be replaced by concern. 

“Will…will it help?” they managed to ask, meaning the coat. 

“ah, probably not. but it feels better to have it on.” He looked back at them and grinned, but even with the way his gold fang glinted in the waning light, the expression looked strained and strange on his skull. “thanks, boss.” 

He turned away again, and flung out an arm as though to block the path behind them. “now get going.” 

“But…” 

“HUMAN!” Papyrus stopped just a few yards away. He was close enough for them to see his red eyes cutting through the sudden gloom like malevolent stars. “I SEE YOU HAVE ACCEPTED YOUR INEVITABLE FATE! EXCELLENT! YOUR COOPERATION WILL ENSURE YOU A PAINLESS DESTRUCTION!” 

“run or get tossed, boss.” 

Frisk looked from one skeleton to the other, from one _brother_ to the other. 

Then they turned and ran. What else  _could_ they do?

“WHA…HEY! _HEY_! GET BACK HERE, YOU…!” They heard Papyrus start off after them. They heard the clash of bone against bone. 

They heard Papyrus stop. 

Heartened and hopeful and cold, Frisk kept running. 

*  *  * 

Ignoring Sans entirely, Papyrus sent a stream of bones arrowing through the air at approximately neck-height. He clearly meant to end this entire dance right then and there. 

The fact that he was ignoring Sans entirely made it even easier for Sans to bring up a wall between the kid and his brother, and knock the bones out of the air with some of his own for good measure. When the dust cleared, he could still hear the kid’s footsteps receding into the distance. Good. 

Papyrus stared at him, openly shocked and evidently appalled. That was less good. 

“SANS! HAVE YOU TAKEN LEAVE OF YOUR FEEBLE SENSES AT LAST?!” 

“maybe.” 

“THE HUMAN IS GETTING AWAY! AND _YOU’RE HELPING THEM!_ ” 

“i’m helping you not make a big mistake, bro.” 

He meant the words sincerely and regretted them in the next instant. Papyrus _glared_ at him with such ferocity and such distaste that Sans felt as though his soul had just been caught in a vice. His brother flared his soul bright in equal parts warning and threat. Sans dimly felt himself slump to his knees beneath the overpowering force of it. 

What was he doing? _What was he doing?_ He must have gone insane, he must have, maybe it wasn’t too late to beg for forgiveness again… 

The echoes of their momentary battle had died away, leaving only silence behind. He couldn’t even hear the human’s footsteps anymore. It was that silence, more than anything, that kept Sans from giving way entirely, even if he had to swallow back a whimper when his brother spoke in a voice that could usually bring even Greater Dog to heel. 

“GET OUT OF THE WAY, SANS.” 

“c-c’mon, bro,” Sans stammered, not even bothering to hide the note of pleading in his voice. There was no point. “we don’t need to do this. why don’t we just talk for once, it’s such a nice day, do you really want to…” 

His words were abruptly cut off with a yelp as Sans found himself lifted bodily into the air by an iron grip around his soul. 

“GET OUT…” 

And then he was flung forcibly off the path, over the snowdrift bordering it and into the freezing river. 

“…OF THE WAY!” 

Only the sting of impact kept Sans from going completely numb from the cold. Even then, for a moment he had no idea which way was up and only the vaguest ideas of why he should try to find out.  

His brother had just literally tossed him away. He couldn’t remember them ever being close, but there must have been times when they were, before the resets started happening. Even now, Papyrus had still put up with Sans when no other monsters would, had used his influence as head of Snowdin’s division of the Royal Guard to protect Sans from getting hurt or killed by other monsters who otherwise might have lost patience with the strange little skeleton.  

Now that was over and done with. Now there was no going back. Home hadn’t been much, but it had been safe. Now his brother had tossed him aside, and if he didn’t keep Frisk safe, then it would all have been for nothing. Sans had never been able to protect _himself_ , what chance did he have of protecting a human kid?  

And yet, what did he have left to lose? 

He’d run out of reasons not to care. 

Papyrus was already a good distance down the path and running by the time Sans launched himself up out of the water. Hating himself viciously but doing it anyway, Sans summoned a pair of blasters over his shoulders and fired at his brother’s back. Papyrus heard the attack coming, but by the time he turned and looked to see what had happened, it was already too late.  His form was briefly obscured by light. When the steam of sublimated snow cleared, it was to reveal Papyrus flat on his back in the snow. 

Sans felt his soul stutter with something like dread and something like elation. He’d never hurt Papyrus so _noticeably_ before. He’d never wanted to, but he’d also never thought that he _could_.  

Judging by the look on Papyrus’ skull as his brother bounded back to his feet, he was just as shocked. Sans didn’t get much time to appreciate as much, because the next thing his brother did was resume his grip on Sans’ soul and bring a line of blue and white bones stabbing up from the ground and down from the air. Sans found himself left with no choice but to blink through space to safety. Even if only to give himself enough time to phase from one spot to the next, he had to retaliate with blasters and bones. It was that or die.  

Except it couldn’t be. Papyrus wouldn’t _really_ kill him, right? For all his bloodthirst and violence, it was his ironclad control over his own magic that had let him rise as high as he had in the Guard, even against monsters that were much physically stronger.  

Papyrus had always stopped before, but they’d come so far now. Yet as he attacked again, Papyrus laughed, and Sans found himself feeling uncertain one way or the other. His brother almost sounded…happy? 

“WHAT POWER! SANS, I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT YOU COULD MUSTER SUCH POWER WHEN YOU GOT UP OFF YOUR LAZY BONES! IF YOU WOULD JUST FIGHT LIKE THIS MORE OFTEN, PERHAPS YOU COULD FINALLY BECOME MORE THAN A PITIFUL SENTRY IN THE GUARD!” 

He lunged in close, the weight on his soul barely seeming to slow him down at all, and summoned a bone the size of a staff in one hand. “NHEH-HEH-HEH!” To keep it from caving in his skull, Sans called up a bone in each hand, swinging them up and over his head to catch the blow. 

“i don’t _want_ to be anything more than a sentry.” 

He ground his teeth with frustration and something that tasted a little like despair at the realization that Papyrus _was_ happy, he was even proud. Sans was finally fighting, just as Papyrus had been exhorting him to do for years and resets, and Papyrus was so proud of him for resorting to violence against the most important person in his life that he almost seemed to have forgotten that it had started for the sake of protecting a human. 

For a moment, the balance of power wavered. Papyrus was heavier, taller and stronger. Sans was desperate. This close, he knew that if he called up another blaster, Papyrus couldn’t dodge or make any move to soften the blow in time. 

He didn’t. He hesitated. And suddenly the sheer force of Papyrus’ will on his soul was heavy enough to _hurt_. Sans slumped heavily to his knees in the snow, and in the next moment, his vision went white and his soul exploded with pain. 

When sense returned, Sans realized that he was collapsed on his side. His view of the distant entrance to Waterfall was obstructed by the view of a large bone aimed at his left eyesocket. When he looked inwards, it was to find that his HP had dropped by most of a point. Papyrus hadn’t done much damage, but he hadn’t needed to.  

Well. This was a more familiar state of affairs.  

When Papyrus let his weapon fade and held out a hand instead, Sans knew better than to take it. He managed to push himself up onto his hands and knees, and had to take a minute for the world to stop spinning.  

“HONESTLY, SANS!” Papyrus at least let him work at getting upright. He just folded his arms and scowled in familiar disappointment. "FIRST YOU SHOW THE MOST POTENTIAL THAT YOU HAVE IN YEARS, AND THEN YOU LET IT ALL SLIP AWAY AT THE LAST MINUTE! DO YOU _ENJOY_ DISAPPOINTING ME? DO YOU ENJOY MAKING A MOCKERY OF EVERYTHING I'VE WORKED FOR?" 

"no," Sans mumbled, staring down at the snow. He wondered if it wouldn't just be better to fall back to the ground and never get up again.  

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN CONTENT TO JUST...WASTE AWAY DOWN HERE! TO LET THE HUMANS KEEP WHAT THEY STOLE FROM US! YOU...HUMAN-SYMPATHISIZING _TRAITOR_! HOW COULD YOU..." 

"you ever think sometimes that maybe humans had the right idea?"  

Silence reigned, so heavy and thick that the gentle flow of the river sounded as loud as thunder against Sans' skull. Sans, meanwhile, felt heavy and numb with shock as the realization slowly sank in that those words had been said in _his_ voice. It was a small mercy that when Papyrus picked him up forcibly by the front of his shirt, the rattling of being left dangling over open air masked the rattling of his fear.  

"HOW. DARE. YOU." 

The red glow of Papyrus' eyes felt as though it was cutting into him as sure as any knife. Sans knew in that moment that he was going to die.  

Somehow, that realization freed the words that had gone unsaid for too many years and too many resets. 

"they'd just kill us if we went back to the surface! 'course, they've kind of killed us already, haven't they?" Sans shrugged the best he could, from his current position. "we became the monsters they always said we were." 

"ALL THE BETTER TO TAKE OUR VENGEANCE!" 

"and then what? say that, by some stupid twist of fate, we win this time. then what? you really expect me to believe that you'll stop? you really expect me to believe things'll go back to how they used to be? that _you'll_ stop being this way?" 

Papyrus didn't answer. Sans took a deep breath, and stumbled on. He hated himself for feeling helpless tears gathering in his eyesockets, but it wasn't as though Papyrus could do anything more to him than he already had. What was the point of resisting anymore?  

"maybe it's not the greatest down here, but it's _safe_ , and it's _ours_ '! all i ever wanted was to make the best of that with you! i don't know how that ever turned into _this_ , papyrus!" 

"...YOU REALLY DON'T REMEMBER?" 

The tone of Papyrus' voice wasn't entirely unfamiliar. But it had been so long that Sans wasn't sure he could put a name to something that _quiet_ anymore. Even when Papyrus wasn't actively trying to shout, the simmering rage he carried in his soul every day meant that his words and his presence were impossible to ignore. That wasn't the case now. Papyrus wasn't looking at Sans with disgust anymore. He was looking at Sans as though he were a stranger.  

Sans wasn't sure which was worse. What could he do but shake his head? 

"no. if, uh...if there was ever anything i did, to make you act this way...i'm sorry, bro. i'm sorry. that was never what i wanted." 

He flinched as Papyrus reached out to him, only to be surprised to feel nothing more than a light tap against his gold fang.  

This was shortly followed by being dropped back to the snow in a heap. Sans let out a startled "oof", but otherwise made no move to rise again. What was the point? He just rolled onto his back, half-expecting Papyrus to already be gone. But his brother was still there, staring down at him so, so quietly and so very thoughtfully.  

It took Sans an embarrassingly long moment to realize that Papyrus was in fact actually waiting for him to speak, and he cast his mind about desperately for something to say. The tooth. It all apparently came down to his gold tooth? 

"this?" He tapped a hand against it as well, seeking confirmation. "getting this is, uh...is what started all of this?"  

"IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW YOU FIGHT." Papyrus' expression hardened, but not quite enough to hide a spasm of something like pain. Even now, Sans felt his soul ache with sympathy. "AND THE LAST. BEFORE TODAY." 

"it was the last time i ever had any _reason_ to fight. they were hurting you..."  

"AND SO ALL _YOU_ ACCOMPLISHED WAS GETTING HURT INSTEAD! WE BOTH LEARNED THAT DAY THAT ALL YOUR IDEALS COULD AMOUNT TO _NOTHING_ WITHOUT TRUE STRENGTH TO SUPPORT THEM!" Sans saw Papyrus' fists clench, hard enough to leave them shaking. "WE SAW THAT DAY THAT IN THE WORLD WE HAD BEEN CAST DOWN INTO, IT WAS TRULY KILL OR BE KILLED! OR AT LEAST...I DID."  

Now there was no denying the tears in his eyesockets, warm against the bone. Sans shook his head helplessly. "papyrus...bro, _wait_..." 

" _DON'T_ CALL ME THAT!" Papyrus snarled. His foot twitched and Sans flinched, but Papyrus took a step back instead. "AND _DON'T_ THINK I DIDN'T OVERHEAR YOU CALLING THAT WEAK, TINY HUMAN 'BOSS' INSTEAD! AN INSULT TO US BOTH! NOW I AM GOING TO GO BRING THEM BACK AND I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU ALL THE GOOD YOUR MISPLACED LOYALTY HAS DONE US BOTH AND _YOU ARE GOING TO WATCH!_ "  

He turned away, and the weight of despair in Sans' soul was heavier even than the weight of pain on his bones. Like this, he would easily catch up to Frisk. He would catch them and kill them, or worse, he would turn them over to Undyne and Sans would have lost everything for nothing. 

Except Papyrus didn't do any of that. Papyrus stopped, and gasped, and it took Sans a minute to think to follow his brother's gaze down.  

There stood Frisk, with tears in their eyes and their arms spread wide in a gesture of peace and contrition.  

"I'm sorry," the human said, around a voice thick with sobs. "I'm so sorry." 

With Papyrus' back to Sans, he couldn't see the look on his brother's face. He could still see the way Papyrus _flinched_ at the words. But his brother recovered quickly, and once again summoned a weapon to hand: "YOU SHOULD BE. _YOUR_ KIND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, HUMAN. FOR TURNING US INTO THE DEMONS YOU FIRST FEARED US TO BE. AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE ONE TO GIVE YOU A _REAL_ REASON TO FEAR." 

All the while, Sans could feel Papyrus' resolve building higher through his words and the force of his will that accompanied them. His stance became something more hostile, almost feral and savage, as he readied himself to attack. No, not to attack. To finish the job. 

Frisk simply nodded, and even in the weak light of Snowdin, Sans could see the tears on their cheeks. "I know," they whispered. "And I am scared. Is...is that enough?" 

Papyrus hesitated, and Sans lunged. 

It wasn't a terribly graceful maneuver. The best he could manage, as weak as he felt, was to heave himself upright just enough to surge forward and wrap his arms around Papyrus' legs. He still succeeded in making Papyrus stumble, even if Papyrus then succeeded at forcibly shoving Sans away so that the smaller skeleton collapsed on his back in a heap.  

"Sans!" he heard Frisk cry. He heard tiny footsteps hurrying nearer, Papyrus obviously too surprised to stop them in time. And that stupid, wonderful human dropped down into the snow next to Sans, and reached out to try and help him upright again.  

So they were _both_ going to die. At least it wouldn't be alone. That had to count for something, he supposed. Sans reached out a shaking hand to take the one they offered him, braced himself against the ground with the other, and managed to at least get pulled up onto his knees. From there, he felt his arm moved around their shoulders, though he could feel them stumble even beneath his slight weight. He wasn't much taller than them, but it was enough to be awkward. Not that it would matter much in a minute.  

Here they stood together, a small and weak human alongside a small and weak monster, staring up at one of the Underground's most powerful and ruthless warriors. Sans felt Frisk groping blindly for his hand, and didn't hesitate before taking it.  

"Please," Frisk stammered around frightened tears. "Please, I'm _here_. Take me to Undyne, or...or do whatever you have to do. I won't fight. Just...just don't hurt Sans anymore. Please. He's my friend."  

Papyrus' expression spasmed briefly, but still enough to be noticeable to Sans. When his brother spoke, it was again in that same strange tone of _quiet_ , empty of much of anything, even his rage. He was hanging on by a thread, but Sans still felt his own soul ache for his brother's.  

"SO. THESE ARE THE SORTS OF ' _CAUSES_ ' YOU FIGHT FOR NOW, SANS?" 

"yeah," said Sans. "guess so."  

Papyrus once again summoned a long bone to hand. He pointed it at Sans' face, aimed at his right eyesocket with an unwavering grip. "I COULD STRIKE YOU BOTH DOWN RIGHT NOW, AND ALL YOUR IDEALS AND DETERMINATION WOULDN'T STOP ME." 

"i know," said Sans. "and you know what?" He closed his eyesockets. "i'm tired. do it."  

He heard Frisk whimper. He felt Papyrus move, heard Frisk being shoved aside.  

Then Sans felt himself once again picked up off the ground. The difference was that this time, the grip was around his waist, and his eyesockets flew open to find himself being held like a sack of flour at Papyrus' side.  

"HOWEVER," Papyrus carried on, as though he hadn't been interrupted at all. "I HAVE DECIDED INSTEAD TO KEEP YOU SAFELY QUARANTINED BACK AT THE HOUSE UNTIL THIS MADNESS PASSES. THEN YOU CAN PROPERLY REPENT FOR YOUR REBELLIOUS WAYS...AND, IN DOING SO, PERHAPS BETTER HELP THE GUARD UNDERSTAND THE STRANGE, HYPNOTIC HOLD THIS HUMAN SO OBVIOUSLY HAS ON YOU." 

"um," said Sans. He followed it up with a most eloquent: "huh?"  

"What?" Frisk stammered, staring up at both of them. 

"AS FOR _YOU_!" Papyrus jabbed a finger at the child's face, glowering fiercely all the while. "ALTHOUGH MY ORDERS WERE TO CAPTURE YOU FOR TRANSPORTATION TO NEW HOME, UNDYNE _CLEARLY_ UNDERESTIMATED THE LEVEL OF POWER YOU WIELD!" 

"She did?" Frisk asked, tapping a finger against their own chest with a blank expression on their face. Sans found that he had to swallow back the urge to giggle hysterically. He felt Papyrus' grip tighten around him for a moment before his brother continued, undaunted. 

"KEEPING YOU AT SNOWDIN WOULD CONSTITUTE AN UNCONSCIONABLE RISK TO MY GUARDS! TRANSPORTING YOU TO UNDYNE WOULD CONSTITUTE AN UNCONSCIONABLE RISK TO _ME_. THEREFORE, I HAVE DECIDED TO EXERCISE MY OWN JUDGEMENT AS CAPTAIN OF SNOWDIN'S DIVISION OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AND SIMPLY ORDER YOU TO CARRY ON YOUR WAY! YOU WILL INEVITABLY DIE ANYWAY, WHEN UNDYNE FINDS YOU, AND NONE OF _MY_ GUARDS WILL BE COMPROMISED IN THE BARGAIN!"   

"Really?" Frisk looked as though they couldn't believe their own ears, but then their face broke out into a broad, delighted smile as comprehension dawned. "Thanks so much!"  

They proved they weren't entirely out of tricks by throwing their arms around Papyrus in what was unmistakably a hug. Papyrus let out a yowl as though he'd just been scalded, trying emphatically to disentangle himself from the child with only one hand. He could just as easily have dropped Sans again and regained the use of his other hand, but he didn't and Sans grinned to realize it. "LET GO OF ME!"  

Frisk did let go, stepping back and rubbing at the back of their head even as they kept smiling. "Sorry," they said, and probably even meant it. Then, pointing at Sans, Frisk added: "But, um...I don't think that's how you're supposed to pick someone up, Captain Papyrus." 

Papyrus stamped a foot hard enough to send up a spray of snow. Sans was faintly surprised to not see steam boiling out of his skull. "DON'T TELL ME HOW TO CARRY MY BROTHER!" 

Yet to both Sans and Frisk's very great surprise, Papyrus shifted Sans in his grip to something less like a sack of flour and something more like how a person would be carried, to a grip that let Sans slump against his brother's chest with a sigh of relief. Papyrus stared fixedly at Frisk. Sans wasn't sure why, until Frisk offered his brother a thumbs-up. Papyrus nodded decisively, tilting his head up smugly. "SEE?" 

"i do," Sans piped up. 

"OF COURSE YOU DO. NOW. WE ARE GOING, SANS." 

"sure thing, papyrus." 

Papyrus turned sharply on his heel, facing back towards Snowdin. Sans shifted position just enough to be able to see up and over his brother's shoulder. He offered Frisk a tiny wave, and Frisk waved back, before a thought seemed to occur to them. 

"C-Captain Papyrus! Please, wait!" 

Papyrus didn't wait. But when Frisk set off at a hasty jog after them, he didn't stop them or try to move more quickly. From his brother, that was still downright conciliatory. 

"You...you'll take care of him, right? He really is my friend." 

 _Then_ Papyrus stopped dead in his tracks. Frisk stopped as well, already panting a little, resting their hands on their knees. Sans once again found himself caught in the middle, looking from his brother to his friend with absolutely no idea of what to do. 

He expected Papyrus to get angry. He expected Papyrus to shout. He most certainly did not expect what Papyrus said next.  

"OF _COURSE_ I WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM." His grip tightened briefly again around Sans. "BETTER THAN _YOU_ EVER COULD HAVE." 

Maybe it was protectiveness. Maybe it was just possessiveness. Either way, it was more than Sans had gotten from his brother in almost longer than he could remember. He responded by tilting his head to nudge his skull against his brother's in the closest thing to affection Sans felt safe enough to dare. He felt the shock of Papyrus' soul in his own at the otherwise innocent gesture, and for a moment Sans feared that he'd made a grave mistake. 

But Papyrus said nothing. He just shifted Sans to be a little more comfortable or maybe just a little more secure in his grip, as though Sans were going to change his mind and decide to go along with Frisk instead.  

Sans made no move to do so, and Frisk just smiled. "Okay. Thank you." Of course they sounded like they meant it with all their heart and soul. The child looked back at Sans and waved to him again with a warm, bright smile. "Good-bye, Sans. Take care. And, um...be good, all right?" 

"you, too, boss." Sans offered them a jaunty salute. "take care of yourself." 

_'Cause someone really cares about you._

Papyrus started walking away again, with the decisive air of one who obviously didn't intend to stop. Frisk, meanwhile, turned away and started off back towards Waterfall without another word. Sans rested his head on Papyrus' shoulder and watched them go until their form was swallowed by the fog. Then all was silent for a while, but for the crunch of snow beneath Papyrus' boots and the sound of water.  

Finally, Sans took a deep breath and managed to steel himself to ask: "am i still in trouble?" 

"YES." 

"s-so, uh...what are you gonna do to me?" 

Papyrus didn't answer, at first. Sans risked a glance over at him, to see that his brother's head was bowed, his gaze fixed firmly on his boots. 

"WHAT MORE _CAN_ I DO TO YOU? FURTHER PUNISHMENT WOULD BE A WASTE OF TIME AND RESOURCES." Even though he said the words like he was reading them off a card, Papyrus nodded decisively. "ALL THAT IS LEFT IS TO WAIT FOR YOU TO RETURN TO YOUR SENSES." 

"sure." That wasn't going to happen, and he thought they both must know that now. So Sans didn't think he could be blamed for following up his agreement with another question. "what happens then?" 

" _THEN_ THE PROBLEM MUST BE ADDRESSED OF JUST WHY A WEAK AND FRAGILE MONSTER SUCH AS YOURSELF WAS IN A POSITION TO ENCOUNTER A HUMAN ALONE IN THE FIRST PLACE! I SEE NOW THAT THE OVERSIGHT WAS ENTIRELY MINE, AND WILL BE REPORTED AS SUCH." 

"w-what?" The only monsters Papyrus reported to were Undyne or, even worse, Asgore himself. Neither of them were known to react well to news of failure. Papyrus letting Frisk go would be dangerous enough for him. But for him to essentially take the entirety of the blame for Sans' part in this on himself? Sans felt sick and cold with fear. "bro, you _can't_...!"  

He realized too late that he'd called Papyrus what he shouldn't have again. This time, perhaps too lost in his own thoughts of the future, Papyrus didn't seem to notice. Or perhaps he simply didn't care. The taller skeleton just scoffed at Sans' alarm. "I COULD _SNEEZE_ ON YOU, SANS, AND YOU WOULD DIE. I _HARDLY_ THINK THAT YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO BE GIVING ME ORDERS, EVEN SETTING ASIDE OUR RESPECTIVE DIFFERENCES IN HIERARCHY!" 

"but...!"  

"BUT _WHAT_?" 

Papyrus was absolutely right, of course. Sans didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to say in order to make this better. Maybe he'd only managed to make things worse, for Papyrus and for Frisk. Sure, Frisk was free. But the kid wouldn't be able to go too much further without running into Undyne, and then... 

Sans stared down the road the way they'd gone, and felt himself smile as the truth became apparent. He was being brought back home, carried by his brother even after defying him, and Papyrus was promising to make sure nothing else happened to him. For all of Papyrus' faults, he had never broken a promise before.  

If Frisk could accomplish that sort of miracle, then they'd be able to get past Undyne okay. He believed that easily. 

"i just...i never wanted to mess things up like this for you, bro. i know how hard you've worked to get this far." 

Papyrus snorted. "YOU FIGHT AGAINST ME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR LIVES, ALMOST _DIE_ DEFENDING A HUMAN, AND _NOW_ YOU SAY YOU NEVER WANTED TO CAUSE ME TROUBLE?" 

"never stopped saying it. i might disagree with you. doesn't mean i don't love ya, papyrus." 

Papyrus did not reply, not as he walked along, not even as the shadow of Snowdin's gates fell across them.  

But Sans knew to take the lack of an audible rebuff as answer enough. 

It wasn't until the gates were rumbling open for them that his brother spoke again, almost too quietly to be heard over the noise. 

"GO TO SLEEP, BROTHER. THAT'S AN ORDER." 

Sans obediently closed his eyes and held on tighter. Together, they carried on towards home.   

 


End file.
